cutlery ceramic knives

does anyone have any ceramic kitchen knives? I hear they are supposed to be very sharp and very good to use, but know they aren't really cheap. I also read that Kyocera is the top brand for ceramic knives. are they really worth the extra money or not?
 
Ceramic is kind of a novelty. Expensive too. They do stay sharp but they also have one flaw. Drop it and the ceramic will break. Not real practical in professional kitchens but probably okay for home use if you're careful.
 
Unless you're worried about metal detectors :lol: get German steel.
 
texas blues said:
Not real practical in professional kitchens but probably okay for home use if you're careful.

:think: I dont know about that, I mean we do have a drunken chef thread here, so there could be a good chance of dropping it :lol:
 
so you guys would think i would be better off buying a knife sharpener and putting a new edge back on some of my steel that I have? which would lead me to ask what kind of sharpener is a good one? electric or get different blocks and do the edge by hand?
 
Stone is the only way to go. Spend the money and get a med grit and a fine. Then all you need is a good steel for touch ups. Little tip. For years I put oil on the stones but soon found them to get gummy. Knifemaker/sharpener pal of mine in Alaska, started me on using windex. Keeps the pores open in the stone and does the job of moving the grit.
 
That's how moyboy got cooties.
 
i found a couple of different sets here:

Sharpener #1

or

Sharpener #2

the difference is the 1st is $35 and has 250 grit, 500 grit, 700 grit stones.

the 2nd is $70 and has 500 grit, 700 grit, 900 grit stones.
each would cost $10 for s&h.
is the more expensive one worth the extra money or is the cheaper one just fine?
 
I would go with the cheaper one, the only difference is the 900 grit and you should be able to achieve the same result with your steel IMO.
 
i was just looking and it found several on ebay. i could actually get one with 3 stones - coarse, med, fine for about $30 with s&h.
 
1st off stay away from the pull through type, yes they can sharpen a knife but nothing like a clean crisp edge if needed for some uses, this from the short time trying 1 kind.

as for stone they're good but wears away after use & then I dont think it sharpens as good as a DMT (IMO). I can put a really nice edge on my hunting blades using a DMT.
look through the site. though it'd help getting the bigger block type (more room to work with)


http://www.dmtsharp.com
 
thehotpepper.com said:
Unless you're worried about metal detectors :lol: get German steel.

Yeah! Solingen rules!

peter pepper said:
so you guys would think i would be better off buying a knife sharpener and putting a new edge back on some of my steel that I have? which would lead me to ask what kind of sharpener is a good one? electric or get different blocks and do the edge by hand?

I use the Lansky sharpener. It does a good job.

http://www.lanskysharpeners.com//
 
i'm a chef, and i'd have to say i love shuns the best, even if they have "sold out" with a lot of "exclusive" styles.. they are lightweight, but keep an amazing edge that keeps a long time with just an occasional honing. for german steel, i have to go with messermiester. ceramics are quite good, but do get dull eventually, and the only way to sharpen them is to send them back to teh manufacterer, as the ceramic dust particles can do damage to your lungs.

so far, the best sharpening system i have found is a ceramic tri-rod set...you don't need to oil it, or water it, and it won't wear away. electric sharpeners..while they sharpen, they tend to grind away at the blade....
all in all, if you really want a good knife, go to a specilty kitchen store, and pick up a few differnt ones in teh store, see how it feels, the wieght, the balance...then just remember its a kitchen knife, not a machette and it will last you for years.
 
I really don't know why people buy anything but Forschner knives. For the price, they are incredibly. I bought some overseas 5+ years ago and they still are sharp as razors. I've seen ones 5x more expensive that can't hold a candle to the wooden handled chef knife line.

Chris
 
You want the best knife sharpener in the world? So sharp that I have to dull my fillet knives to fillet a halibut? Get a WARTHOG. they are way over $100 last time I looked. But seriously, best in the world.;)
 
This thread needed resurrecting. Why? Because these days you can buy ceramic knives for a very reasonable price. I went to a Food Network show a handful of years back, and one of the vendors was selling ceramic knives for a few hundred per knife. I walked away. However, I recently picked up a ceramic paring knife for under $20 and like it so much, I went and bought a ceramic chef's knife, too. I'll be the first to admit that I baby those knives like they're glass, because they are. After use, I immediately wash, cover, and put away - - - before I even eat or finish fixing whatever I'm cooking that I used one of those knives for. No flicking water off a blade, as that flick might turn the knife into garbage. However, given that you can now buy them at a very reasonable price, you're not going to freak out if you do break one. I haven't tried cutting meat with one yet, but believe it will not be a problem as long as I'm strictly cutting soft tissue. I wouldn't bother trying to cut through bone with one, though. A couple things to know are that you cannot cut on a glass cutting board and these will never go into a dishwasher. Also, refrain from cutting open packages with them. If you have no measure of self-control, these knives are not for you. I admit it, it's all true.
 
What else is true, though, is that these knives are very sharp and a joy to slice with. You want potato slices so thin you can see through them, without getting out a mandolin or food processor? Use a ceramic knife. Tomatoes, chiles, cucumbers, hard winter squash, any kind of veggie or fruit, no problem. I'll admit to having accidentally sliced into my fingernails a couple times, which was astoundingly easy to do.  It was a good thing my nails were somewhat long at the time.
 
If you've been curious about them, now is a good time to give one a try. Just make sure you respect the blade!
 
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